A House Is Not a Home
by TheLionGarden
Summary: Kurt Hummel and Blaine Anderson are both trying to find themselves in the unstable jungle that is high school in the subrubs of Ohio. But will they manage to find their place on their own, or will they need a little helping hand?


**Author's** Note:

Hey everyone. I know, it's been a while since I've used this username... I don't know what came over me for deciding it wasn't good enough or something. Silly me.

Anyhoos, after quite a LONG break from writing fanfics, I've decided that now - seeing as I'm just on the verge of finishing my mandatory military service and on the brink of entering adulthood - I think it's good to have this kind of commitment thingy that grounds me through hectic times and keeps my mental pens and pencils sharp and always ready.

So basically this is the first thing that popped into my head. I mean, we all love Klaine but I always figured that if I'm gonna write something like this it could be awesome to see where it goes. I didn't like how "Blurt" turned out in the aftermath, so here I am, giving it another shot. And who knows? Maybe at some point I'll even be brave enough to post an independent AU!

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Episode 1 – Auditions

Blaine was torn. There was only a week to go before the school year began and he had no idea where he was about to go.

Last year was terrible, he still had nightmare about that fatal night in the parking lot. But he refused to let his past haunt him. He had to move forward if he wanted any chance at a normal life.

So, after finally opening that daunting can of worms with his parents and talking about it… Cooper bugged him till he caved in… it was up to him to decide where he would enroll for high school. Either a public school in Lima, Ohio called "William McKinley High School" or the all-boys private school with zero-bully enforced policy, otherwise known as "Dalton Academy".

Blaine wasn't fooled. He knew that Dalton was his safest bet, but it was still a far cry from where he wanted to end up. He knew that no matter how many times his mother would ensure him over dinner that whatever he chose was fine with them; his father would turn his back on him if he chose Dalton.

Just then, he heard a knock at his bedroom door. Lifting up his gaze, he saw his mother standing there.

"I'm sorry, Blainey, but it's time. I have to call the school today to set up a week trial. I don't want to rush you, sweetheart, but if we don't give them an answer today they will not accept the trial and demand either a full registration or not at all. So, what will it be?"

Blaine sighed in defeat; he knew he was cutting it close. But there was no other choice. He had to see what it was like.

McKinley High School was hell.

That was the only way to describe it in Blaine's mind. He thought in the morning when he inspected his reflection that he was dressed pretty nicely, that he wasn't blatantly shouting out who he was; but apparently it wasn't enough.

Even though the student body had no idea who he was, they were glaring and whispering about him; enormous boys (who really could only be considered as over-developed unnaturally) would tease him verbally and sometimes even shove him against the lockers. This wasn't good. How could he even walk by in the halls without cowering in fear?

Then there were the classes themselves. Blaine tried to make the most out of them, he really did, but it was impossible. The students didn't want to listen, granted they were not freshmen anymore, but even sophomores were supposed to still hold some semblance of respect for school; the teachers were worse, it was like they completely gave up on trying capturing the students' attention and just sat there, reading whatever they fancied, or even ate in front of the students.

Blaine was at a loss.

Is this what he really wanted? Please his father? To conquer his past fears? Face new fears and a lesser education instead? He wasn't sure at all anymore.

That was until lunch period.

He decided that sitting in the cafeteria on a sunny day in Ohio, while the entire student body was out in the courtyard, was probably the very definition of social suicide and would most definitely ruin him. So he went outside. But he most certainly did not expect what was waiting for him there.

Kurt seriously doubted this plan. Sure, it seemed really cool in the beginning, showing off their talents in front of the school with a top-40's song, but now? This was just about as awful as showing up to school in his fabulous silver Gaga-homage costume. No one was paying them any attention. No one! They were seriously performing for themselves in front of the school and it was more than humiliating.

But then he noticed someone. A short someone, if he said so himself, but still that someone caught his eye. He was dressed in semi-tight purple pants with a black belt, over green loafers; his shirt was a form-fitting Henley in black and white, and the whole ensemble was rather adorable underneath that mop of curls. He couldn't exactly see the face of the boy since he was constantly bobbing up and down and sideways with Kurt always dancing with the rest of the club, but it was definitely a sight for soar eyes.

Blaine was in a trance.

There were eleven teenagers dancing and singing _Empire State of Mind_ by Jay-Z feat. Alicia Keys. They were good, better than his previous glee club back in Columbus. But something was wrong. Something wasn't right. It was like the performance was lacking a certain luster.

And then it hit him.

No one cared.

No one in the courtyard, no student or staff member, gave two hoots that those teenagers were singing and dancing their hearts out for them. It was like watching a terrible Miley Cyrus concert where everyone just suddenly up and left, or worse, no one came.

Blaine felt sorry for them. He knew what it was like being ignored.

He thought that maybe joining the Glee Club here would earn him a few extra points in the social ladder, but looking around it seemed like the worst idea ever.

And that's what made his final decision.

All the shoving, the taunting, the ignorance, the indifference and now the lack of social status for the Glee Club in the eyes of the student body just showed him that he had no place here. It was like the school has shown him its true colors through that one tiny audition of the New Directions.

Blaine was once again in turmoil of emotions.

But this time, it was the strongest most positive emotions he had ever felt.

Hope. Happiness. Amazement. Awe. Respect.

He felt like he had finally found his place.

He had spent less than a day at William McKinley High School and knew that was probably the last place for him; but now, after a week of roaming the halls of the Dalton Academy for Boys, he couldn't have felt more alive.

The teachers seemed genuinely interested in helping him gather his bearings; he didn't have to take for cover every time he saw an oversized boy heading his way; his teachers were actually invested in the material they were teaching and the classes were just about as invigorating as they could get.

He was home.

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**End Note:**

Whew! You have NO frigging idea how hard it was to crank out the first chapter to this thing. Okay, jumpstart initiated. Control, we are ready for take-off.

Alright. So basically, you know the drill. Read, follow, review, do your thing. But honestly, I would love to hear your feedback to this thing. I'm going to try new levels of storytelling that are really daunting for me and it would mean the world to me if you could give me some pointers and shoves in the right direction.

Also, I will be answering questions posted in the Reviews section at the "End Note" of each following chapter... so, hope that is a good enough trigger ;) ... NOT LIKE THAT! OMG... nope. Not a bad trigger... nope...

Crap. Just realized I haven't really set the update dates straight with you guys. Alrighty, so due to personal issues that have risen last week, updates will be Tuesday and Friday. So, expect next chapter in two days - really excited about this one, folks!


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